Edwin a



(No Model.) 4

E. A. HAYES..

LIFE RAFT.

` No. 281,689. Patented July '24, 1888.l

UNITED STAT-Es PrrrENr OEEICEo EDWIN A. HAYES, oE NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIFE-RAFT.

SPECIFICATION arming part of Letters Patent No. 281,689, dated .'ruiy 24,1883.

' Application filed February 17, 1883. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWINA. HAYES, of the city of New York, inY the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Life-Rafts, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l represents a side view of my liferaft. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig.

8 is a plan view of my raft folded up, and Fig.

4 is a perspective view of a removable hinged dashboard adapted to be placed between the floats when distended, as will be hereinafter explained.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. A

The object of my invention is to provide a life-raft which, when not in use, may be easily folded up, so as to occupy but a small space, and which, therefore, may easily be carried on the promenade or state-room deck of steamvessels, but which, when wanted by reason of an accident or in any emergency, by being simply drawn out or extended and put afloat, will be capable of supporting a large number of persons; and to that end it consists in a novel construction and arrangement of a liferaft, hereinafter fully described.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a -float or buoy, made of any suitable length or thickness, consisting of a canvasjacket and a filling of cork, or any equivalent material of light weight and possessing the requisite amount of buoyancy. I prefer to make these floats of cylindrical form, ordinarily of about 1 sixteen inches in diameter, with cone-shaped ends, the total length of the float being about sixteen feet. On either or both sides of the floatA arelongitudinal strips of wood B, which serve to strengthen and protect the buoy, and

which are held firmly to the sides of the floatk by marlin C, or any other equivalent suitable material.- protected by a cone-shaped metallic guardingshield, D, which covers them and extends for a distance up the cone of the float, and then, branching off in two arms, joins the protectingstrip B, as is clearly shown in the drawings.

E is a hollow cylindricalbolt having a thread cut on the exterior, the inner surface being left smooth, for the purpose hereinafter ex- The extreme points of the buoy are i plained. The cylindrical bolt E runs in a vertical direction through the center of the float A, and is secured thereto by two thumbscrews, F, one above and one below the same. I ordinarily use two of the hollow bolts E for every float A, which bolts serve to hold in position the horizontal flat bars or boards G, which are placed above and beneath the Iloat A, and which are rigidly attached to the same by means of the vertical lhollow bolts E and thumb-screws F, inthe manner shown in Figs. l and 2.

In constructing my sectional and folding life-raft, I attach two floats, A, constructed as described together by means of folding ties H, hinged or pivoted together at their inner ends, respectively, as at H', by the vertical hollow bolts E and thumb-screws F, the other or outer extremities being attached to the two floats by means of the hollow bolts E and thumb-screws F, before described. The points H', where each pair of folding cross-ties H are pivoted together, are connected by a flat horizontal bar, or board, M, running in a longitudinal direction, which I term a top bracing-board,77 which board is thus attached at each end with one pair of cross-ties H by the pivotj oint formed by the hollow bolts E/ and thumb-screws F. The bracing-board Mserves to steady the cross-ties, and to cause them to act uniformly when folding or extending the raft. The pairs of cross-ties II at the ends of the iioat A are of such length that when they are placed in line with each other, as in Fig. 2, the floats A will be extended the proper distance apart. The bracing-board M also serves, together with the cross-ties H, to stiffen the raft, and to brace it against sudden strain or concussion when the thumb-screws F and F are screwed down tight. In order to manipulate the raftdas, for example, for the pur'- Apose of folding it together again-it becomes IOO Fig. 2, to a distance, preferably, of six feet I gency nothing has to be arranged or fixed beapart.

A rectangular sheet of canvas or equivalent material, attached each side to one of the two fioats A, serves as a float-ing deck for the raft when extended, and also serves to provide a covering for the raft when closed or folded up.

rFhe vertical hollow bolts E and E serve as receptacles for a mast, K, which is fitted to the interior cylindrical opening of the bolts, and which is thereby rigidly held in position. The mast K is preferably placed in the bolts E in the central longitudinal line of the raft, but upon any occasion therefor arising it may equally well be erected by means of the bolt E upon either of the floats A.

Oar-locks may be inserted at G in the horizontal boards G, in the manner shown. Lifelines may also be attached to the outside pair of longitudinal lateral strips, B, in the manner customary in rafts of this description.

In order to construct alargcr raft, I attach a number of rafts or sections, constructed as described, together; and to that end I provide each section or raft A A with a swivel connecting-board, Il, one end of which is secured to the horizontal strip G by the bolt E and thu1nb-screw F, the other end being provided with a hole or opening, to which it may be attached, in a similar manner, to an adjacent raft.

The dash-board represented at Fig. 4 conssts of two flat pieces of board, hinged as shown, and having their ends so cut that when opened out on their hinge-joint the said ends shall fit snugly against the inside curved surv faces of the buoys A, between which the dashboard is placed, to assist (if necessary) in holding the buoys distcnded, but particularly to present V-shaped ends to the raft, for obvious purposes. These dash-boards are secured in any suitable manner at each end of the raft, and their shape is such that it is immaterial which side of the raft happens to be up, and may or may not be used, at pleasure. The canvas deck J is secured by snap-hooks to rings or eyes along the sides of the raft, and is provided with suitable cyelet-holes, to pass over the hollow bolts and to be secured centrally by the thumb-screws which secure the crossties.

By this construction I obtain a raft that requires no adjustment and can be cheaply inanufactured, although it is substantial and cannot readily be broken or injured. Occupying so little space, and being of such light weight, it can be placed where it is always easy of access, and when required for use in any emerfore launching it either side up into the sea.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. In a folding life-raft, the floats A, constructed as described, and provided with the longitudinal lateral strips B, connected above and below to such floats, and adapted to join and be secured to the removable cone-shaped metallic guarding-shields D, placed at the eX- treme points ofthe buoy, substantially as speci fied.

2. In a folding life-raft, the combination, with the floats A, of the folding cross-ties H, jointed at their longitudinal centers, the vertical hollow bolts E and E', and thumb-screws F and F', adapted both to sustain a mast, K, and to form a hinge or pivot joint for the crossties H, and also adapted to hold the same rigidly either in a folded or extended position, substantially as described.

3. In a folding life-raft, the combination,with the floats A, ofthe folding cross-ti es H, jointed at their longitudinal centers, the top bracing board, M, the vertical hollow bolts E and E, and thumb-screws F and F, adapted both to sustain a mast, K, and to form ahinge or pivot joint for the cross-ties H and bracing-board M, and also adapted to hold the same rigidly either in a folded or extended position, substantially as described.

4. In a folding life-raft, the combination, with the floats A, of the longitudinal lateral strips B, supported above and below said floats and secured to the removable cone-shaped metallic guarding-shields D, the folding cross-ties H, jointed at their longitudinal centers, the vertical hollow bolts E and E', and thumbscrews F and F', adapted both to sustain a mast, K, and to form a hinge or pivot joint for the cross-ties H, and also adapted to hold Ico the same rigidly either in a folded or extended position, and of the rectangular sheet J, of canvas or equivalent material, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a folding life-raft, the combination, 105

tensible cross-tics H, the canvas deck J, se- 11o cured in position substantially as described.

EDVIN A. HAYES.

\Vitnesses:

J. O. FoWLnR, Jr., G. A. RoDnnKA. 

